


Decisions

by foofoocuddlypoops



Category: Shelter 2
Genre: Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-10-07
Updated: 2016-10-07
Packaged: 2018-08-20 03:10:58
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,272
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8234035
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/foofoocuddlypoops/pseuds/foofoocuddlypoops
Summary: Staying alive requires a lot of critical thinking.





	

**Author's Note:**

> Wrote this a LONG time ago and I honestly don't remember why.

This life is hard. Not that she really has time to ponder on the difficult of her own struggles, there’s far more important things to be thinking about. The coldness of her surroundings, the rumbling in her gut, the oncoming storm, the relative emptiness of her surroundings, the—

The mew beside her interrupts this self pitying line of thought. That’s the most important thing to worry about. Her kits are starving and that needs to be addressed. Immediately. If there were only one of them things would be different, not to say it’d be easy but it’d be considerably less difficult if there were only two mouths to feed; her and a single young one. Instead, there’s five stomachs to fill. Though fill isn’t her goal. No, just having a single morsel in each is enough. Filling them each up is a thing of dreams. Presently, unobtainable. At least in winter it is.

It was, possibly, the middle of the season. Up until now she’d been able to sustain them all while keeping relatively close to her den. Familiar ground for both her and her kits. They were birthed there and spent all of their time until now in the area surrounding it. Now though, the rabbits have run dry and she can’t keep them all sated not he occasional prey that leaves it’s own home. They need to move.

To the south, she knows, there’s deer. That on it’s own is it’s own challenge. She isn’t anywhere near strong enough to take them on her own and hoping to catch one thats sick, weak enough for her to take down and to hope it’s alone… That’s really taking a chance. To the north though there’s the mountains. The prey is overwhelming. She and her kits could eat there without having to rely on the bad luck of others.

That seems to be the best decision, but in the mountains there’s bears. That’s a huge risk to take. She can’t take on a bear but she can outrun them. Her kits on the other hand, cannot. It’s the winter though, the should all be resting, but in her position, she shouldn’t rely on should. She shouldn’t rely on what should be as much as she shouldn’t take chances with the deer. As much as she shouldn’t rely on that, it’s still the better choice.

The thoughts, while detailed and thorough, pass in only a moment. On the outside, it looks as if she only paused, like she stepped on something sharp and needs to take a different step. In reality, she begins to move with a new purpose. She needs to move her family to more bounteous, more dangerous ground. Bears be damned. They’re fat. She’s positive she’ll hear them before they become a problem, and by the time comes they should, she and her family will be long gone.

With a gruff sound, she calls her kits near. They don't necessarily have to be called, but it's always smart to keep them near. At least, it is if her previous litters are of any indication. That, and she's learning from the decisions her own mother made. Considering she's alive, keeping them all close, or at least being aware of where they are, is the best choice to make.

After hearing four separate calls in response to her own, the tension in her mind settles. For now at least. Her internal panic can return once they've reached their destination.

Their travel time is mercifully short. Their shortness giving her a moment to wonder in frustration as to why all the prey must seclude themselves here. It's only brief, though. If she were in their position, she'd likely do the same. The bear, while an immense threat, was also the area's guardian.

While an immense threat to all of the inhabitants of the few flat breaks of the mountainous area, it was just as dangerous, if not more so, to other predators who may be interested in coming to prey on them. Predators like herself.

The only true fight in the area, if you were a prey animal, is to be faster or smarter than your neighbor. As long as there’s someone of your ilk below you, you could live in relative safety. In the case of a new predator comes by, emboldened by the sheer amount of prey animals in the area, they would become the new focus. Animals that eat others are generally bigger than those in the area. A far better meal for a bear. Really, the only time one should worry would be the winter, when their part-time guardian-part time nightmare sleeps.

Unfortunately for them, it was winter, and she was coming.

Or rather, she was there. Even as she thought she was traveling, only having to stop time to hunt. Well, not having to stop, but the opportunity to hunt presented itself and she’d be a fool to pass on it. Now though, in what is essentially a Bobcat’s smorgasbord , after she and her kit’s immediate needs are handled, she actually will have that opportunity. To not be in a constant struggle, to have a chance to simply rest; the thought is enticing and she immediately sets to fulfilling it.

Her eyes wander the vast, but enclosed, area. There are rabbits, a familiar sight, voles, a fox— is that a pheasant!? Immediately she stalks forward.Her kits, while not old enough to assist her in the hunt, are still old enough to learn. They follow at a distance and watch on with keen eyes. Taking note of her movements. All the more incentive to do her job well. Every step she takes will effect her children for life. She cannot afford to fail.

Once she’s close, she can almost taste her quarry, it senses her and begins to run. It’s short legs aren’t built for it and it’s only trying to gain momentum to take flight. She’s on it’s tail though. It’s only barely lifted from the ground when with a short hop, she grabs the doomed creature in her teeth. The bitter taste of its life fill her mouth and she’s tempted to devour it herself. But, with everything in her telling her to eat, she drops the bird and it’s almost immediately set on by her young copies.

It doesn’t take long for it to vanish into their mouths, which are now crying for more. Did she eat so much? She can’t remember doing so, but she must’ve. Every one of her kits did the same. It’s a safe assumption that she was no different. Her poor mother, she had four siblings.

She turns, ready to hunt again, but before she even begins to move forward her attention is grabbed by a movement to her right. Voles are stupid, she thinks, they’re never scared off by a recent kill. As such, it’s still outside it’s protective hole and, after a quick pounce, dead. This, she won’t share. Almost immediately the creature vanishes down her own throat and she could swear she feels a sense of warmth come over her.

This area will treat them well, if their first few moments are the start of a pattern. Her kits can grow strong here and she’ll be pretty well off herself. A satisfying rumble starts in her chest at that thought and now she begins to move. She’s still hungry, but with a fresh kill working it’s way through her, she’ll be able to deal with her own hunger long enough to handle the young ones bellies first.

Maybe full stomachs aren't a thing of dreams after all.


End file.
